This Historic Waxahachie Farmhouse Shows How Preservation Adds Value to Cities

This historic Waxahachie farmhouse looks like one out of the Fixer Upper television series, but this is not the work of Chip and Joanna Gaines. Instead, the renovators were Pat and Kristan Richey. It’s their fourth transformation and it was supposed to be their forever home.

After renovating houses in Michigan, they restored a Tudor in Lakewood while their daughter was growing up. When she graduated and Pat’s job offered the chance to work remotely, they cast a wider net and purchased this Waxahachie farmhouse in the West End Historic District 11 years ago.

“We read something that said Waxahachie had more Victorian homes per capita than anywhere else in Texas,” Pat said.

Waxahachie certainly does have one of the most extensive intact collections of turn-of-the-century residential and commercial architecture. It’s been a darling of the film industry for decades. Bonnie and Clyde, Tender Mercies, and Places in the Heart are only a few of the over 50 movies, videos, and TV episodes that have been filmed there.

The community has a strong sense of the importance of preservation that Dallas, and especially the Park Cities, would do well to emulate. 

The recently released Waxahachie Architecture Guidebook by Ellen Beasley and Margaret Culbertson is an excellent reference book filled with everything you should know about the town’s architectural legacy. Anita Simpson, the Waxahachie Director of Downtown Development and Historic Preservation Officer jumped into action when I rang her to gather information on the Ritchey’s farmhouse which was built as a spec home in 1887.

She sent the following from the guidebook, which of course, I’ve just ordered!

A 1922 porch and sunroom addition do much to camouflage the 1887 Italianate-style house that remains behind them. Clues to its earlier identity can be seen in the second-floor windows, with their tall, narrow proportions and their asymmetrical placement that reflects a hall and parlor floor plan. A pre-1922 photograph documents the original decorative details, including spindlework on the porch and paired Italianate brackets at the eaves. This was one of several Waxahachie houses built by Oscar F. Parks for speculative sale. Subsequent owners included Mrs. A. L. Redding, a widow; A.B. McKnight, county treasurer; and another widow, Mrs. T.L. Ross. It was Mrs. Ross who in 1922 contracted with W.B and C.C. Ramsey to add the sun room on the east side and rebuild the front porch as part of a major redo that included a new roof, painting the exterior, and papering the interior.

— “Waxahachie Architectural Guide” by Ellen Beasley and Margaret Culbertson

What is of particular interest is that even in the early 1920s, people were transforming their homes. It sounds like Mrs. Ross could have been the Joanna Gaines of her day!

With Preservation, It’s OK to Ask For Help

One of the essential things to know when you love the thought of having a historic home is you don’t have to have the actual talent to renovate it. There are so many incredible preservationists in Waxahachie and Dallas that you can turn to for help.

There are also numerous historic resources, like the new book by Beasley and Culbertson. While preservation and historical societies are the obvious places to start, don’t overlook local libraries. They are a font of information on the history of any city.

Of course, if you are handy, it’s always a good thing, and Pat is a great example. “I’m not the brains, but get me started, and I follow directions and get it done!” he said. “We’ve figured out things through family, friends, and Home Depot, and my wife has a natural talent for design and landscaping.”

For their Waxahachie farmhouse, the Ritchey’s turned to Paul Graham.

“He is a wizard,” Pat said. “We’ve worked with him for 10 years. When we found this house, he checked it out before we bought it and then helped us renovate it.”

“We’d stayed in touch with the previous owners, who have become good friends,” Pat said. “They shared projects they wanted to complete had they kept the house, and we ended up doing a lot of them. We tried to use materials that were correct for the period, except insulation. The original insulation was horsehair! The biggest project was the carport, and of course, the kitchen.”

Because the Ritcheys never planned to move, you can imagine the detail that went into this home. But you know how family can change your plans!

The Ritchey’s are off to enjoy their grandkids, so they called their former Realtor, Paragon’s Britt Lopez, to market their home. At 2,484 square feet with three bedrooms, two fully renovated bathrooms, and a powder bath, you can imagine what happened the day it was listed for $400,000.

“The phone began ringing the moment it appeared on MLS on November 5th,” Britt said. “People called from all over the country, and we had over 30 showings.”

Five days later, this Waxahachie farmhouse at 604 W. Jefferson Street had nine offers, well over the list price. This home is a real lesson in understanding the value of a historic property and that the investment is more than worthwhile.